Darkness and Light Old Version
by Evnyofdeath
Summary: AU, OC-Centric. Yami, Hikari, and Tamashii are all drawn into a war that began years ago. A war between Darkness and Light. A war that has no end in sight. A war they will have to end.
1. Starting Point

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Shut up........."

A young man rolled over in his bed and tried to hit the snooze button on his alarm clock. Unfortunately however, he instead rolled of the bed and fell face fist on the floor. Pushing himself up of the ground, the boy then rolled over and looked at the ceiling.

"Why do I have to get up so early today?"

There was a loud knock on bedroom door and the boy sat up.

"Yami, its time for school, Hikari is waiting for you outside."

"Wha..............."

Looking at him one could almost see the gears turning in his head.

"That means that today is..............CRAP! ITS THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!"

Yami jumped up and ran to the closet. He grabbed his favorite shirt, a gray button up one, and threw it on as fast as he could. He then pulled down a pair of dark gray pants. He ran to the mirror in his room, and tried to comb his unruly red hair for a minute before giving up. He pushed his bangs to the side revealing his dark blue eyes before running downstairs as fast as he could. When he got to the front door, he ran his fingers through his hair knowing what his friend would say. He reached for the door knob and slowly opened the door.

"Hikari? You ready?"

There was a girl his age on the door step. She has light brown hair that extended just past her shoulders, and green eyes. She was wearing a shirt sleeveless shirt, and a light gray skirt. Over he shoulder was a beige bag which Yami noticed was full of school supplies.

"Crap! I forgot my backpack! Be right back!"

Yami ran to the living room, and grabbed the missing item before rushing back to the door.

"Forget anything else?" The girl taunted him.

Before replying Yami took a moment to think.

"_What could I have forgotten? Is she just messing with me? Or did I really forget something?"_

"Your pendant you idiot."

Immediately Yami's hand reached to his neck. It was true, his pendant was missing. He felt a brief moment of panic before Hikari held out her hand. In it, his pendant.

"You forgot it yesterday."

"Ummmmm.....thanks.........."

Yami took the pendant and hung it around his neck. It was in the shape of a crescent moon, and in the middle of it there was a dark purple gem imbedded.

"Lets get going, don't want to be late." Yami stated.

"True.....Oh, yeah, Yami?"

"Hm?"

"You need to buy a comb."

"Not funny."


	2. Duo

**Sorry for the wait on this (yes Blaid, I'm talking to you.) and from now on I'll try to get these out quicker (again Blaid, I'm talking to you).**

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"Yami! Wait up!"

Yami turned to see Hikari running towards him. When the school bell had rung saying that the day was over, he had rushed out as quickly as he could, completely forgetting about Hikari in the process. Yami slowed down to let the girl catch up, but didn't completely stop.

"Your so slow Hikari." Yami teased her.

"I am not! Your just to fast." Hikari defended herself.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Lets get going already."

The two friends started walking to the beach like they did almost everyday. After all, that was the place they had first met. Thinking back to that Yami didn't look where he was going and crashed into a person walking in the opposite direction. Stepping backwards Yami tried to apologize, but the person had already disappeared.

"Who was that?" Yami wondered.

"I think its the new girl. I saw her a few times today."

Yami nodded and the two continued on their way to the beach, however it wasn't long before Hikari's cellphone began to ring. Pausing for a moment she fished it out of her bag and answered.

"Yes?"

Yami watched as Hikari got more and more flustered by whatever her friend was saying and couldn't help but laugh at her embarrassed face when she was done. Regaining his composure, Yami tilted his head to the side and looked at her.

"Soooo.......what did so and so say about this and that?"

"Yami! Her name is Marrisa! And.....er.....well.....sh-she asked i-if.........."

"If.........?"

"Sh-she wanted to know if w-we'd......b-because we're always together sh-she w-wanted to know if w-we........"

Yami just stared stupidly at his friend waiting for her to finish her statement. Pulling out his own phone he looked at the time and realized he was going to be late for his training.

"Hikari, I'm sorry but I gotta go!"

"Huh? Oh right, your step dad is training you in swordplay. Well, good luck."

With that Yami turned around and began running as fast as he could to his house. After about 10 minutes he made it and ran to the backyard. His step father was sitting on a tree stump and when he saw the boy, stood up and threw him a wooden sword.

Hikari sat on the curb blushing profusely. She couldn't help but think back to what her friend had said over the phone.

"_Tell me! Have you and Yami done it yet!?"_

"_Wh-what!? What makes you think that!?"_

"_Well, you two are ALWAYS together."_

"_We've been friends since we were little kids, of course we'd be together!"_

"Do people at school really think that Yami and I............" Hikari didn't want to finish the question.

Instead, she pulled her phone out again, and after checking the time, began walking to her own house. Part way she passed a couple holding hands and blushed again, her thoughts returning to Yami. Shaking her head to get rid of said thoughts, she quickened her pace to get home faster. When she got there, she was greeted by her older brother, Richard.

"So, how was your day 'Princess'?"

"Don't call me that!"

Her brother was a tall lean person. He had medium length black hair, however it was tied into a small pony tail. He also had bright blue eyes, which was rather uncommon in their family. The two of them walked into the house and their mother intercepted them.

"Hikari, how was your day?" She asked. "Oh, and by the way, your father said that if he ever catches you doing inappropriate things with Yami you'll both be in trouble."

Hikari felt like screaming, but instead kept her cool. She knew her mother was just teasing her, but after what Marrisa had said she couldn't help but feel rather uncomfortable. Running up the stairs Hikari walked into her room and dropped face down on her bed. Rolling over so that she was facing the ceiling, she dug in her bag and pulled out her phone. Flipping it open she tried to get in contact with Yami, but couldn't.

"Hes probably still practicing........"

Putting her phone away she got up and walked over to her desk, and pulled out a photo of her and Yami when they were 10. Yami was still getting over the shock of his mother's death, and she had tried to cheer him up by getting him a present, and gave him a chain necklace. He had liked it and she had been able to convince him to take a photo with her. Smiling she placed the photo down and started on her homework. About an hour later her mother yelled that dinner was ready.

"Coming!"

"Dad! I'm going for a walk, I'll be back soon!"

Yami walked out the door and started aimlessly wandering aimlessly. By the time he realized where he was he was already at the beach. Looking around he walked over to the waterline and sat down. He heard someone walking up behind him, but didn't bother to turn his head. Whoever it was sat down next to him, so he glanced to the side and saw it was the same girl from before. She had long black hair and gray eyes. She was wearing a black tank top and black shorts. She in addition had a distinctly tomboyish appearance to her.

"Who're you?" Yami asked her.

"Tamashii."

"What are you doing here?"

"I saw you and wanted to say hi. I remember running into you earlier today."

"Well, I gotta go. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

Yami stood up and started walking away when his cell phone rang. Pulling it out he saw it was Hikari and answered.

"Hey Hikari. What did you wanna talk about?"

When Hikari told him about what her friend had said earlier that day his face turned bright red and he almost dropped the phone.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-what!? They think just because we hang out a lot we do stuff like THAT!? W-well I gotta get going. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Hanging up Yami flushed even redder when he certain thoughts entered his head. Shaking himself Yami started running home.

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**Well, what did you think?**

**Please Review**


	3. Darkness

**Sorry it took so long for me to upload this. I had some MAJOR writers block on this.**

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Several months had passed since Yami met Tamashii on the beach, and the girl eventually became friends with him and Hikari. She had a very spontaneous personality, and would bounce from one thing to another in a matter of moments.

"Come on you two, lets hurry up!"

"Slow down Tamashii!" Yami yelled at her.

He and Hikari picked up their pace, and ran towards the girl. When the caught up to her, she immediately turned and ran towards the beach. Sighing Yami started running again, however he noticed Hikari was staying behind. She had never been the most physically active person, so she was probably already tired. When he got to the beach however, Tamashii was gone.

"Hey! Where are you! Tamashii!" Yami called out. "Damn, she must have run off again."

Yami cast his glance to the ocean, and walked over to the shore. His mother had told him once that she had met his father, his real father, on this beach before she died. He fingered his pendant, which she had given him when he was 9, a year before she died. Suddenly feeling a presence near him, Yami quickly turned around to see a man in a black cloak standing several feet away from him. The man's face was obscured, so Yami couldn't tell who it was, or even see where he was looking, however it was obvious the man was staring at him.

"What?"

When Yami didn't get a reply, he turned and walked away, feeling creeped out by the strange man.

"Hey, Hikari, you still there?" Yami called as he left the beach and rounded the corner.

Sure enough, Hikari was sitting on the sidewalk, exactly where he had left her. Kneeling next to her Yami noticed she was pale, and realized she had fainted. Sighing Yami carefully picked her up and began walking to her house.

"What is Richard gonna say when he sees this? After that incident in the 7th grade where Hikari hugged me, he said that........" Yami trailed of not wanting to actually remember what Hikari's older brother had said.

While he was walking to Hikari's house, he saw Tamashii pacing back and forth.

"Tamashii, you ditched me!"

"Wha? Yami! Hikari! There you are! I don't know what happened, one moment I was on the beach, the next I was here."

She then noticed that Yami was carrying Hikari.

"Did she pass out again? She knows shes not that physically fit, so why does she always wear herself out the way she does?"

"I don't know, but-" Yami was cut off when a large shadow covered the sky.

"What the hell is that?"

"I don't know Tamashii, but it isn't good, we need to get out of here!"

Yami turned to run, but saw his path blocked by several shadowy creatures. Yami Stepped back and hugged Hikari to his chest to try and protect her from the strange beings. Feeling her stir he looked down and saw the girl open her eyes.

"Yami? I passed out again didn't I?"

"Yeah, but thats not the problem now.........Tamashii are you okay?"

Yami turned to see the girl staring at several more creatures which were advancing from the other direction. She seemed uncharacteristically afraid of them and collapsed on the ground.

"Damn. I don't know what we're gonna do Hikari."

Yami helped Hikari stand, and the two of them looked each other in the eye for what may be the last time they ever would.

"Hikari........I........"

"Yes?"

"I............."

Yami took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.

"Whats that? A light.......?"

Said light shot past Yami and landed in Hikari's hands, where it took the form of the strangest weapon the boy had ever seen. It looked vaguely like a key crossed with a long sword. The hand guard was in the form of a pair of angel wings meeting at the tip to form a circle around the hilt. The blade itself was roughly 2 and a half feet long with a slight backwards S-curve, while what could be called the teeth of the key was a gold crescent moon.

"What is that?" Yami asked in disbelief

"I........don't know, but for some reason I feel..........different......."

One of the shadows suddenly lept at Hikari, and the girl instinctivly raised her arms. The creature hit the blade of the key and exploded into a black cloud.

"It looks like whatever that thing is its what we need to defeat them. Here, let me have it."

Yami held out his hand, and Hikari gave the weapon to him, however it only remained in his hands for several seconds before disappearing, and reappearing in Hikari's hands.

"Guess your the only one who can use it."

"I......guess so. Yami, I'll do my best to get rid of these things, you take Tamashii and run!"

"I trust you Hikari. Don't die on me."

Yami ran over to Tamashii, and when he couldn't get her to respond, lifted her onto his back, which was easier said than done considering she was taller than him. When she was secure, Yami turned back to see how Hikari was doing, then ran as fast as he could away from that area.

After 15 minutes, Yami had to stop running because he was out of breath. Placing the still traumatized Tamashii on the ground, he sat down to catch his breath, cursing himself for his lack of stamina in such a dire situation. After 5 minutes Yami decided he had rested enough, and turned around to pick up Tamashii.

"Hey, Tamashii, you ready to go?"

What Yami saw shocked him. Tamashii was all but gone. There was a large shadow underneath her and her arm was sticking out of it, her hand franticly trying to grab something. Yami ran over to her and reached out his hand, however just before he could take it, she sank all the way in and the shadow disappeared.

"Tamashii!"

"She can't hear you."

Whipping around Yami saw a woman with long green hair in front of him. She was wearing an over large cloak so Yami couldn't see what her actual body looked like, however she was about as tall as him. He noticed when she walked over to him that she had bright yellow eyes and was surrounded by a faint black aura.

"You won't find the other one either."

"Hikari! What did you do to her!"

"I did nothing. I simply saved her from being 'erased'. However, if you wish to find her, I can help you."

The woman extended her arm and held her hand out to him.

"Join me and be my servant, and you will defiantly see your precious Hikari again."

Yami hesitated. Something about this woman reminded him of the strange man he met on the beach earlier, however she had said she would help him find Hikari.

"Fine."

Yami extended his own hand and took the woman's. Almost immediately he felt a sudden surge as though something was trying to take him over from the inside out. Pulling his hand out of the woman's he grabbed his head in pain.

"Wh-what is this!"

"The Darkness. Let it in, and you will be able to do whatever you want, including search the Worlds for your friends."

"No..........no!"

Yami turned and ran away from the woman. He didn't know where he was going, but in the end he turned up at the beach again, the one place he truly felt comfortable. Walking over to the water he sat down and starred at his reflection. After a moment something caught his eye in his reflection. At first he didn't realize what was different, however after a moment it became obvious. His eyes were no longer blue, but a darker shade of the same yellow of the woman's.

"Ah, so you've noticed. Even though you resisted, your predisposition to the Darkness made it impossible for you to resist."

Yami jumped up and turned around to see the woman standing behind him. Suddenly gripped by anger he lunged at her with his fist drawn back, however before he could make contact a black blur shot past him, and he fell to the ground.

"Ah, Sephiroth, nice to see you."

"You need to be more careful. If I hadn't gotten here when I did-"

"Ah, but you did get here. Anyways, will you accept my offer now?"

Yami stood up and saw the woman was extending her hand to him again. Tentatively Yami reached out and took her hand again, and this time didn't fell the surge of power. Instead he felt a strange familiarity, but couldn't place it.

"Good. Now then, let us depart for my humble abode."

The woman released her grip and waved her hand. A foot away from then a large black shadow appeared in the air.

"This is a Corridor of Darkness, with it one can traverse the many Worlds."

The woman walked though, leaving Yami with Sephiroth. When the swordsman walked past him he gave the boy an analytical look.

"You remind me of someone I know."

With that enigmatic statement he walked through the portal himself. After a moment of hesitation Yami stepped through himself.

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**What did you think? If you've already read 'Ending Twilight' which was written by Blaid, but uploaded to my account you may know what Sephiroth's comment was about, however please don't say anything in the review about that.**

**Please Review**


	4. Awakening

**Wow, been awhile since I've updated this story, huh? don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it, I just had some major writer's block.**

**EDIT: Well, I was told I made an error near the end, but I didn't see anything. Either way, I fixed the divider problem, so it flows easier.**

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Yami didn't know what had happened. One moment he was walking through the Corridor of Darkness, and the next he was standing in complete darkness. There was a sudden flash of light from below him, and looking down he saw he was falling down to a large stain glass pillar. The background was a light blue, and on the right side of it was a profile image of him. In the image's hand was a large key shaped sword similar to the one Hikari had used, however the design was different. Not only was it solid black, but the hand guard was box shaped instead of being circular, and the blade was straight and appeared to be double edged. On one side of the blade near the tip was a crown like protrusion that would be the teeth of the key. On the left side of the pillar were 4 circles, and each one had a face in it. The one of top had Hikari's, while the one on the bottom had Tamashii's. The one on the right had the Empress of Darkness's face, and the one on the right was solid black, as though something was hiding the image from him.

Yami touched down on the pillar, and tentatively stepped forward. When he reached the far side of the pillar, the end where his head on the image was, he felt a presence behind him. Quickly turning around he saw the cloaked man from the beach.

"Who are you? Where are we?" He asked the man, almost pleadingly.

"..."

The man held out his right hand, and another key shaped sword appeared in it. This one had a rather complex design. The hand guard was in the form of a square, however the bottom was open, and each side had two spikes coming off, and a spike on each corner. The blade was a gray cylinder, and at the top was what looked like and enlarged version of the hand guard, however larger. There three spikes on each side, one on each corner, and two on the top.

"W-wait, what are you doing!"

The man rushed at Yami, and swung his weapon, only missing because Yami ducked down at the last moment. Falling down the boy starred at the cloaked man in fear as he swung his blade down once more. Just when the weapon would have made contact with Yami, he raised his hand almost on instinct and in a swirl of Darkness a sword appeared in his hands. It vaguely resembled the weapon in his image's hand, however it lacked the enclosed hand guard, and the teeth like protrusion on the blade.

"What? How did...?"

Deciding not to question it, Yami swung the blade up, and threw the cloaked man away from him. Standing up, and aimed his own blade at the man, and made a mental note to thank his foster father for drilling him so often in sword play. Running at the man, he pulled his blade back, and thrusted forward in an attempt to stab the man, however he dodged by jumping back, and countered by swinging his weapon upwards. Yami jumped backwards himself to dodge, and quickly transitioned to a leap forward.

"Take this!"

Yami swung his blade as hard as he could, and connected with the man's side, throwing him so hard he flew over the edge of the pillar. Panting at the effort, Yami bent over slightly and put his hands on his knees. Hearing a sudden noise the boy turned around to see the cloaked man standing behind him and tried to raise his weapon to block the coming blow, but was too slow. As the man's sword was about the connect with him, Yami closed his eyes.

"Wake up."

Yami opened his eyes and saw the Empress standing over him. He was lying on the floor, and sat up.

"Glad to see you've come to. The moment we came out of the Corridor you passed out. Sephiroth, help him find his room."

"Fine."

The man grabbed Yami's arm, and hoisted him to his feet, then proceeded to drag him along the halls. Yami saw that they were in some kind of castle, and that all the walls were made of a cold gray stone. At the end of the hall there was a door, and Sephiroth stopped in front of it.

"Here, this is your room."

The man let go of Yami's arm and started walking away. When he was several feet away he turned his head to the side.

"Don't tell the Empress about your Awakening."

"What?"

"That dream you had. Don't tell her about it."

"Why-"

Before Yami could finish the tip of the man's sword was at his throat.

"Don't tell her."

Sephiroth pulled his sword away and sheathed it before walking away. Yami put his hand to his neck to make sure it was still in one piece before walking into his room. It was a very simple room, consisting of a bed, nightstand and a chair. There was enough room for him to make himself comfortable, but not enough for him to feel at home. Sitting on the bed he held out his hand and starred at it, thinking about the dream, or as Sephiroth had called it, the Awakening.

"Ah, to hell with it!"

Giving up Yami lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

DLDLDLDLDL

Hikari opened her eyes. Her head was groggy, and her body felt like lead. All she remembered was fighting off those strange shadows and the next thing she knew she was laying on the ground. Sitting up she cradled her head and tried to think. Suddenly it came back to her.

She had been fighting off the shadows when they suddenly stopped attacking for no apparent reason. Feeling a presence behind her she turned around and saw a woman with long green hair wearing an overlarge black traveling cloak standing behind her. The woman walked over to her and waved her hand, causing a black portal to appear, and then before she could react the woman threw her through said portal.

"Where...am I?"

Standing up Hikari realized she was in an alley, and started walking out of it. When she reached the end she saw she was in a city, and that that in the distance there was some sort of castle. Walking forward, she suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed on the ground.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Hikari turned her head to see a man with shoulder length brown hair, and wearing a black vest like jacket was standing over her. On the ground next to him was a large sword that vaguely resembled a gun.

"Hey, Cloud, get over here!"

Another man, this one wearing a pair of black pants and a black shirt with only one sleeve on the left side appeared. He had short blonde hair and it was styled in a spiky fashion. He had on his back a large sword that oddly enough was wrapped in bandages.

"Cloud, can you carry her? My hands are full, with this stuff."

"Sure."

Hikari felt herself being lifted up and carried by the man named Cloud. She tried to resist, however she was to weak at the moment to do anything to stop the man. After some time had passed they came to a stop, and then entered a house. Cloud put her down on a couch, and walked away. Sitting up she looked around the house and couldn't find anything strange about it. Getting up she walked over to the door to try and escape.

"I'd suggest otherwise."

Quickly turning around she saw the man with the gun shaped sword looking at her.

"Don't worry, we didn't kidnap you. We're just looking out for you best interest. At the moment the Empress is a bit demanding."

"The Empress?"

"You don't know? Shes the one in charge of this world at the moment. Not that we like it that way. She is trying to take over the Realm of Light with the Heartless, and is doing a pretty good job at it. My names Leon by the way. The blonde is Cloud, and you'll meet the others soon."

"The others?"

"Just a group of us who are trying to kick the Empress out, and make Radiant Garden a peaceful place again."

"Radiant Garden? Is that where we are?" She asked.

Before Leon could answer, the door burst open, and black blur shot in. When the blur stopped moving Hikari realized it was a girl, maybe a few years older than her. She had short black hair with a head band on her forehead, was wearing a faded gray shirt with a black vest over it, and short shorts.

"Whos this?"

Turning to the door Hikari saw another girl. This one looked a bit older than the one in black, and had long brown hair with a pink ribbon in it, and was wearing layered pink and white dresses.

"Ah, Aerith, Yuffie, glad to see your back unharmed. Well, we don't know who she is, Cloud and I found her passed out on the road, and brought her here. What is your name anyways?"

"Hikari..." She answered back.

"Thats a nice name, Hikari." The brown haired one said.

"Thanks..."

"Oh, I'm Aerith."

"Thanks Aerith"

"Okay, its time to eat!" The black haired one, Yuffie exclaimed.

After that, the group filed into a rather large dinning room and sat down at a table. Not long after a man in a white shirt and blue pants with a large orange cloth belt walked in carrying a large tray of food. When he noticed Hikari he turned to Leon.

"New girl?"

"Yeah. Could you get her something?"

"Sure. What do ya want?"

"Um...I don't know...maybe a...sandwich?"

"That all? What kind?"

"Ham."

"Sure thing."

The man walked away and went into another room, probably to the kitchen to make the sandwich. Hikari noticed Yuffie staring at her, and became unnerved.

"W-what?"

"A ham sandwich? You could have asked Cid for anything, and you want a ham sandwich? Why?"

"Well, its our favorite."

"'Our'?" Yuffie asked.

"Mine and Yami-" Hikari's eyes widened.

"Yami...what happened to him!"

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**So, did ya like the cliffhanger ending? **

**The sad thing is I might not be able to update at all over the summer. Anyways,**

**Please Review**


	5. Extra 1

**Well, I wanted to apologize for not being able to upload a proper chapter for at least another month, so I wrote this quick extra. It takes place after Yami's Awakening in chapter 4 as he sleeps in his new room in the Empress of Darkness's castle.  
**

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As Yami lay and drifted to sleep in the cold castle that was now his home, he couldn't stop his mind from shifting to memories of the past few months. The smallest of smiles crept on his lips as he finally drifted to sleep.

_1 Month Ago_

"Yami! Hikari! Pick up the pace!"

"We're going as fast as we can Tamashii!"

Yami and the two girls were late for school for the 4th day in a row. Their homeroom teacher had told them if they were late today, they would have a weeks detention. Yami knew that his step parents would be disappointed, especially his step father. He also knew Hikari's parents would probably ban the girl from spending time with him for several days at least. What Tamashii's parents would do was a mystery as the brunette hadn't introduced them yet.

The trio dashed through the front gate, and ran full speed past the secretary, who yelled something that they didn't quite catch at them. As they charged down the hall, some of the stragglers in the hall gave them strange looks, and Yami could have sworn he heard at least one male student wolf whistle as the full figured Tamashii ran by. Just as the bell rang, they burst through the door to their class, and everyone stared at them. Their teacher tsked them, and told them to take their seats.

Yami and Hikari took walked to the left side of the class in the middle row of seats, right next to the window. Tamashii, being a transfer student, sat at the front of the class in front of the teacher. When the class turned back to said staff member, the lesson resumed, and Yami tuned out, staring out the window for the rest of the hour. This continued for the next 2 classes, and then the lunch bell rang. Yami instantly stood up from his science work, and turned to his ginger partner.

"Hey, Layra, you don't mind cleaning up do you?"

"U-um, n-not at all Y-yami." the girl stuttered, her face flushed.

"Thanks!" Yami all but yelled at her as he charged out of the room, racing to meet Hikari and Tamashii at the cafeteria.

When he was roughly half way there, a pair of large built teenagers walked around a corner and smirked at him.

"Well look what we have here? If it isn't little Yami Crown! In a hurry to meet your girlfriends?" The one on the right taunted sarcastically.

Yami merely smirked in response. "Why yes, yes I am."

At the dumbfounded look on the thugs faces, Yami couldn't hold in a laugh, and ran away as fast as he could. It only struck him when he got to the cafeteria what he had said.

"Did I just call Hikari and Tamashii my girlfriends!"

Almost on cue the two walked up from behind him, Tamashii resting her arm on his shoulder.

"What was that?" She asked him.

"N-nothing."

Yami flashed a smile at Hikari, and noticed her blush slightly. Brushing it off, he started walking towards the cafeteria, with the two trailing behind him. When the walked in, several male students looked at him in envy. Yami had two of the most desired girls in the school as friends, and they didn't like it. Hikair's timidity and shyness combined with her slight build and ever so slightly curvaceous figure put her on the same level as a cheerleader in most students eyes. Tamashii's hyperactivity and spunkyness combined with her rather mature figure did the same. Yami on the other hand was rather low on the popularity ladder, just high enough above the nerds to not be targeted by hazing.

"I'll go get the food." He said over his shoulder as he ran over to the increasingly larger line.

As he waited for his turn to pay, he cast a glace over his shoulder and saw that Tamashii had left Hikari alone for whatever reason, and that the girl was being hit on by a pair of jocks, one of which already had a cheerleader clinging to his arm. Sighing he placed his tray down, and jumped out of line, rushing over to his friends aid. When he got close enough to hear what was being said, his face flushed in both embarrassment and anger.

"Come on! Why not? If you come to my house, we can have some fun! You, me, Alex, and Clair!" As the jock said the last two names he gestured to the two standing behind him. It then hit Yami that they were trying to convince the innocent girl to have a foursome with them.

Angrier than he had ever been, Yami quickly scanned the room, and grabbed a mop before running full speed at the boy. Taking a stance he swung the mop sideways, and slammed it into the back of the jock's knee, which caused him to collapse. The other two turned to him in shock, and then anger.

"You shit!"

The other jock swung his arm, however Yami easily dodged, and thrust the mop upwards, hitting the boy in the jaw, causing his head to snap backwards. While he was dazed, Yami used his full strength to throw him away. He then turned to the cheerleader, and she simply glared at him before casing a lustful glace at Hikari and walking away.

"What did I miss?"

Yami turned and saw Tamashii a few feet away, a questioning look on her face. After a brief explaination, the girl laughed, and punched Yami in the shoulder.

"Ya know, this'll all stop if you get a boyfriend Hikari."

In response, the light haired girl blushed furiously, and stared at the floor. At this, Tamashii's eyes widened, as though a telepathic connection had been established, and she knew something.

"So there IS a boy you like! Who is it!"

Hikari opened her mouth, however before she could answer she was cut off by the bell.

Later that day, after school was out and the trio was walking home, Tamashii asked again.

"So, who is it? Who do ya like!

Yami laughed quietly.

"Whats so funny blue eyes?"

"Tamashii, if you want Hikari to answer that question, you should first. Is there a guy YOU like?"

Instantly the girl's face reddened, and the looked away. Yami raised an eye brow at this reaction. He turned his head away, and caught the brunette stare at him with his peripheral vision.

Several days later, the trio was walking home again, and oddly enough it was Hikari who talked first.

"So….the school dance is in a month….are you guys going?"

"Dunno" Both Yami and Tamashii responded at the same time. Glacing at the girl curiously, he noticed her flush again.

Once more, Hikari spoke up.

"I'm thinking of going…..but only if I'm asked."

"Ah, waiting for Mr. Myster to ask?" Tamashii grinned widely.

"Y-yes."

Yami stared forward quietly.

The next day, as Yami stared intently at the clock, waiting for the lunch bell, he was caught off guard by his partner. Yami glaced at his fellow red head, and saw she was opening and closing her mouth, as if trying to say something. A thought occurred to Yami, and he decided to toy with the girl.

"Wait, don't tell me…your thinking of a way to ask me to ask you to take you to the dance next month?"

The girl's face paled so quickly Yami thought she would faint. She slowly nodded her head, before turning around and running out of the room.

"Wait…what?"

_3 weeks later_

Yami was staring in the mirror, trying to think of a way to tell Hikari. The two had been close friends for almost 6 years, and just recently he realized he was in love with her.

"Yami! Your gonna be late for school!" His step mother yelled up to him.

Grabbing his stuff, he ran downstairs, out the door, and to school.

_1 Week later (The Day the Darkness Appeared)_

As he stared at the girl for what would be, or at least he thought it would be, the last time they would ever be able to be together, he opened his mouth to say something.

"Hikari…I love you."

Instead however, after looking in the sky something else came out.

"Is that a…light?"

Yami's eyes suddenly snapped open from his dream. Sighing he raised his hand, and stared at it. He could still remember what it felt like to hold that sword from his Awakening. He thought that maybe, if he had let the cloaked man strike him down, he could have gone back in time, and told Hikari how he felt.

"Its never that easy."

* * *

**I hope you liked it. I decided that since the main pairing in my story is Yami/Hikari (Or, if you want, Darkness and Light *wink wink*) that I might as well expand a little on their backstory.**

**Chapter 5 is roughly 33-50% done at the moment, but it is on my laptop, which is in Scottsdale, Arizona. I am in Fairbanks, Alaska until the beginning of August, so I can't finish it. Sorry**

**Please Review  
**


	6. Darkness Draws Near

**Well, after a major delay, here is chapter 5. Hope you like it.**

* * *

"Empress, how are things?"

The Empress looked down at the cloaked man before her. To be honest she couldn't stand the fact he was using such a casual tone with her. Who did he think he was?

"Things are progressing smoothly. You can tell your master that he doesn't need to worry about the Realm of Light, its all under control."

The man hunched over as though he was laughing, and pulled his hood back. When the Empress saw his face her eyes widened.

"You!"

DLDLDLDLDL

"Hikari, I don't know how to tell you this, but your home is gone."

Hikari heard that and fear gripped her heart. What had happened to her family? What had happened to Yami? To Tamashii? Looking up at Leon, the one who seemed to be in charge she tried to form the question. Opening her mouth she was quickly cut off by Yuffie.

"So, whose this Yami?"

"Yuffie!" Aerith interjected. "She just found out her home was destroyed."

"Sorry..."

"Its alright. Yami is my friend. I met him when I was 9, and we've been inseparable since. When those shadows appeared...a key appeared in my hands and I was able to fight them off, Yami took our other friend Tamashii and ran. I don't know what happened to them after."

"Wait...a key! You mean a Keyblade!" Leon asked.

"I-I guess."

"So, we've found a Keybearer...we might be able to win this."

Hikari didn't know what she had gotten herself into, but there was a chance that with their help she might be able to find her friends. She would take that gamble.

"I'll help."

DLDLDLDLDL

Yami opened his eyes. He had had a very fitful rest and wanted to explore. Getting up he walked over to the door and slowly opened it. Looking out to see if anyone was there he ventured out into the hall, and started walking towards the other end. When he got about half way down the hall, there was another one intersecting it, and he decided to head down it. At the end was a large circular room with a rather large and orient throne on the far side. Wondering what it was for he walked over to it.

"I see you've found my throne."

Quickly turning around Yami saw the Empress standing behind him.

"I'm sorry, I got bored and wanted to look around."

"Why would I ever get mad at you?"

She walked over to him and placed her hand under his chin, raising his head.

"Now then." She said as she pulled her hand away. "If your going to serve me, you'll need a weapon. Hold out your hand, I'll use my powers to give your Inner Darkness form."

Yami did as he was told, and the Empress waved her own over it. Yami noticed the ring she wore on her middle finger glowed brightly as she did so. When she was done Yami felt as though something had changed inside him, and he didn't particularly like it.

"Now, call on your Darkness, and it will show you its form."

Yami closed his eyes and focused on the new feeling inside of him. When he opened them the same sword he had used in his Awakening was in his hands. Startled Yami lost focus and the blade dissipated.

"Now that your Darkness has been given a form, it will willingly take up said form any time you will it to. Now then, come with me. I want to show you what I rule."

The woman walked towards the middle of the room, and turned to face him.

"Coming?"

"Y-yes."

Yami walked over to where she stood, and she raised her hand. When she did so the center of the floor rose and a hole opened in the ceiling. The floor rose to the hole, and Yami realized that this was some sort of balcony. The woman walked towards the edge, and Yami followed. When they reached it, she waved her had at what lay before them. A large city was at the base of the castle.

"This is Radiant Garden. It used to be a base of the Light, however now it belongs to the Dark Empire. Now then, the reason I'm showing you this is that I want you to go down to the city and find a man named Leon. He is plotting to lead a revolt against me. He won't be able to do much, but even a small victory would shake the foundations of my rule, and threaten the Darkness's hold on the Light. When you find him, I want you to kill him."

"What! Kill him? I won't become a murderer!"

"You have already sworn your allegiance to me. You cannot refuse my commands."

The woman looked him in the eyes, and Yami could have sworn her ring glowed again. For whatever reason he couldn't look away from her eyes, and he felt his consciousness slip for a moment. When he regained his senses, he realized he was standing in the middle of the city.

"How...?"

"Who are you?"

Yami turned to see a man dressed in black with brown hair walking towards him. Strapped to his back was a large sword that looked like a gun.

"Why?"

"Red hair, gray clothes...but your eyes...they're the wrong color. Are you Yami?"

"How do you know my name?"

"So it is you...My name is Leon, we've met your friend Hikari."

The moment he said his name Yami felt his hand move on its own, as though something was controlling it. He raised his arm in front of him, and he felt the Darkness flow towards his hand. The sword formed again, and he felt his body dragged into a fighting stance.

"What the-"

Leon was cut off before he could say anything else when Yami lunged at him. Swinging his sword Yami tried to cut into Leon's arm, however the man managed to dodge, and pulled his sword free.

"Why are you attacking me!"

Yami tried to say something, but for whatever reason couldn't. Leon was able to put some distance before pulling out a large sword shaped like a gun to fight with. Yami tried with all of his might to stop what he was doing, but he had no control over his body. Without his consent he lunged forwards and hacked at the older man, only to be thrown backwards several feet resulting in a crash with a wall. Picking himself off the ground he once again lunged, only to once again be thrown back.

"You use the Darkness! You...your one of the Empress's pawns! I hate to do this, but for the good of my home, I have to destroy you."

The man opened what looked like the gun barrel on the gun part of his sword, and loaded a cartage into it. Clicking it back into place he pulled on the trigger and in a burst of energy the blade of the sword became wrapped in a large blade made of Light. Holding the weapon aloft as though it was weightless Leon ran at Yami and swung his blade. At the last second the boy was able to put up a guard and absorb the brunt of the attack, but he was still thrown to the ground.

"D...dammit..." Yami moaned.

"Now, to end it."

Yami watched as Leon walked over to him and raised his sword overhead to land the finishing blow. Closing his eyes he was ready to except this fate, but once again his body began moving on its own. Picking up his own sword the boy stabbed with it, landing a direct blow on Leon's abdomen. In fact, the only thing that kept the older swordsman from dieing from the blow was the armor he wore under his outfit. Still, the attack did enough damage to cause him to drop his sword and stagger. Still under the control of whatever force was manipulating him Yami stood up and raised his blade over the man. Pulling back he swung forward in an arc that would decapitate the brunnette. Just as the blade was about to connect however, Leon rolled forwards and grabbed his own blade. Spinning around he struck a strong blow on Yami's back, causing him to topple forwards and hit his head on the ground. The impact from the blow causing him to slip into unconsciousness. Just as his vision went black Yami saw a Dark portal open several feet away.

DLDLDLDLDL

"Wake up."

Yami's eyes snapped open. Looking around he realized he was laying on the ground in the Empress's throne room. Standing up he looked around and saw said woman sitting on said throne. She seemed concerned about something and didn't notice him, causing him to wonder who had called out to him.

"Sephiroth, are you sure hes okay?" The green haired woman said with the slightest hint of concern in her voice.

"For the 3rd time the boy will live. Your lucky the other one came out in the wrong place and found him"

"'The other one'?" She asked. Tilting her head to the side she noticed Yami standing. "Oh! Your alright! I was afraid you'd been done in."

"I'm fine. Just a little sore."

"Oh yes, there is someone I'd like to meet."

Another portal opened next to her and the same cloaked man from his Awakening walked out of it. Yami's eyes widened but when he caught Sephiroth's gaze he was able to suppress a proper reaction. The man walked forwards and looked Yami over before walking over to Sephiroth and talking into his ear.

"Yami, this is-" The Empress started but was cut off by the cloaked man.

"I can introduce myself." The man said. His voice was odd, as though it dared you to disobey him. "My name is Blaid. I am...rather high up in the Dark Empire. The Emperor left the conquering of the Realm of Light to the Empress, and I periodically check up on her."

The man promptly turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows.

DLDLDLDLDL

"I don't believe you Leon! The Yami I know would never do that! Your lying!" Hikari cried out.

"I'm telling the truth. He tried to kill me. I would have done the same if that guy hadn't appeared out of nowhere and stopped me. Either way, he is our enemy."

The brown haired girl simply curled up and shook her head. After a few minutes of this she relaxed a little bit and looked up at the older man defiantly.

"I'll see for myself if thats true.

DLDLDLDLDL

Tamashii snapped open her eyes. She felt like she had been asleep for days. Looking around she realized she was in a completely black void and tried to move, only to find some force holding her down. Normally she would have started panicking at the prospect of being trapped here, but for whatever reason she was perfectly calm. Relaxing she was able to slip out of whatever force was holding her and stand in the void. Looking down at herself she saw that she looked unchanged for the most part, however for whatever reason she felt different. Walking forwards she eventually realized that the void she was in was endless, and came to a stop. Looking around she couldn't figure out how to escape.

"What now?" She asked herself. "What do I do? Ask it to let me out?" At this the ghost of a smile formed on her face, however it didn't last. "Fine. Let me out."

For whatever reason the void responded to this, and a black portal (only seeable because it was even blacker than the void) appeared in front of her. Shrugging Tamashii walked into it. Inside she found herself in the exact opposite of where she came from. Now she was in a _white_ void that stretched forever. Sighing she walked forwards several feet before holding her hand out.

"Open."

Once more a black portal opened in front of her. Walking through this one as well she found herself in a large city. Glancing around she couldn't recognize it. Walking forwards however she felt a strange familiarity and stopped in her tracks. Looking to her side she saw a house that look so familiar and yet so different is would have been scary. Furrowing her brow slightly the girl picked up her pace, and took a path she knew well hoping she wasn't right. Unfortunately she was.

"No. How can this be my..." She trailed off.

She was standing on the beach she and her friends always walked to, however it was changed. The sand was a strange gray color and the water was almost black.

* * *

**Well, there we go. I've reintroduced Tamashii, and set up the major conflict. Get ready for some EVILEness later on.**

**Oh, from now on you can expect longer chapters as well.**

**Please Review.**


	7. Dark Horizen

"B-Blaid!" The Empress yelled as the man disappeared. "Curse him..."

The woman cast a glace backwards at Yami before following the man into the shadows, leaving him with Sephiroth. The silver haired man simply shrugged before walking out of the room, opting not to use the Corridors for some reason. As he passed Yami he whispered something, but the boy didn't catch it.

"What?"

Instead of answering the man shook his head and walked away. Confused Yami started walking after him but felt a presence behind him. Turning the red head saw a boy roughly his age sitting on the Empress's throne. He was wearing the same black cloak that Blaid had been and seemed to be eying Yami, as the boy could feel eyes on him. Walking forwards Yami held out his hand and his sword appeared.

"Oh? Are you going to attack your savior?"

"My savior?"

"Oh, you don't remember? I saved you from having your life taken by that Leon character. Who would have thought he wore armor under those clothes?" He mused.

"Yeah...but thats besides the point, I didn't even want to fight him."

"Ah, but you did fight him, and you weren't even able to scratch him. Your not very good."

"Hey! I wasn't even in control of my body! It was moving on its own!"

"Yes, but it was still your body, it could only do what you had taught it."

Yami didn't know how to reply. His step father had only taught him the basics of sword play, but that had been enough for him to get by on his own World. Here however it was obvious those basic moves wouldn't be enough.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kurai. Yours?"

"Its Yami."

When the boy heard his name Yami noticed him stiffen.

"Yami? Red hair...and those eyes...the way he wields the Darkness...its not possible, but maybe..." Kurai muttered to himself.

"What are you talking about?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Now then, I've been told I'm going to stay in a room next to yours, can you show me to it?"

DLDLDLDLDL

"What happened to this place?" Tamashii asked herself.

"Oh? Who might you be?" A voice called from behind her.

Whipping around she saw a man in a black coat. Even though she couldn't see his face it was obvious he was staring at her. Something about the man disturbed her so she took a step back instinctively, and the man noticed. A slight laugh escaped him and he held out a hand.

"Don't worry, I am no enemy. You fell into the Darkness, did you not? Yes...and lost your Heart in the process."

"I...lost my Heart?" She asked him.

"Yes, it is unfortunate, however I can help you. Join me and I can obtain a new Heart for you."

"N...no. I..." She cast a look at the water. "What happened here?"

"Oh? I simply drowned the world in Darkness."

"It was you...?"

"Oh? Were you one of the people living on this world?"

"Hikari...and Yami...it was because of you that..."

"Hm?"

"I will NEVER join you."

Holding out her hand a dark portal opened in front of her and she ran into it.

DLDLDLDLDL

"Yami...where are you?"

Hikari was roaming the streets of Radiant Garden, hoping to find Yami. Instead she had found several bums and one persistent pervert who soon wound up tasting the brick road. Getting anxious the girl picked up her pace and feverishly began to hunt for her friend. With each corner she turned she grew more and more desperate.

"Yami...where are you?"

DLDLDLDLDL

"So, this is it? Hm..."

Yami watched as the boy walked into his own room for a moment before walking out and going into his. Confused he followed and saw the boy sprawled out on his bed. Irritated Yami walked over and shoved him off. The boy laughed and stood up.

"Aw, your no fun."

"What are you doing in here?"

"I wanted to talk. After all, we have a lot in common."

"No, we don't."

"Huh? But...oh, right, nothing in common at all. Anyways, I want to talk."

"How about taking off your hood first."

"Fine."

The boy grabbed his hood and in one quick motion pushed it back revealing his face. He had short bright green hair, rather similar to the Empress's, bright blue eyes and somewhat pale skin. He had an almost innocent look on his face as well, something that disturbed Yami for some reason.

"There, you can see the real me. Now, spill, what makes you tick?"

"Um...I...I don't know. I'm here because the Empress said she would help me find my friends."

"Your doing this for your friends? Aw, how sweet and innocent. You really have no idea whats going on do you?"

"No, and I don't want to know."

"Fine. But that didn't quite answer my question. What drives you to do the things you do. Surely if you just wanted to save a friend you wouldn't go to these lengths."

"I...Hikari. She means more to me than anything."

"Ah, you love her? Heh, love...the weakest of the emotions. He succumbed to it and look what happened."

"'He'?"

"Never mind. Well, if you do love this girl, all I can say is to forget her. For people like us it is all but impossible to find someone who can endure the way we can."

"What are you talking about?"

"Its all in our blood actually."

"What is in our blood?"

"What? You mean you don't even know THAT! Wow. Its not my place to explain it to you. But anyways, tell me more about this girl."

"About Hikari? Shes...its hard to explain. She is the kindest person I know. She never looks down on you, and is always encouraging. She is also radiant. Almost as if Light was pouring out of her at all times. Heh, that night when everything went wrong, it was almost overwhelming. Turns out she really did have Light in her."

"What do you mean?"

"There was this bright light and a a key shaped sword appeared in her hands. I don't know why, but I just knew that was Light."

"Key shaped...A Keyblade? Hm...Light...Keyblade...Hikari...could she be the one? Ya know what? I'll keep that in mind. Now, I bid you adieu."

With that Kurai put his hood up and walked out. Confused Yami shrugged his shoulders before laying down on his bed.

DLDLDLDLDL

Tamashii walked out of the Darkness and found herself in a run down town. Everywhere she looked the buildings were falling apart. It was as though the world was dying. Furrowing her brows she felt a flicker of curiosity but wasn't able to hold it. Instead she shrugged and continued forwards. After some time she found herself at a dead end and turned around to leave, only to find her way blocked by several of the same beings that attacked her home.

"Just get out of my way."

Walking forwards Tamashii swatted one of them away and if flew into the side of a building, causing said structure to collapse. Paying no attention to the damage she caused the girl simply continued on and walked into another dark portal, coming out in yet another derelict town. While not as run down as the previous one, it was obviously abandoned.

"Now where am I?"

"A World that has been claimed by Darkness."

Turning around Tamashii saw the same cloaked man she had met at the beach. He held out his hand once more and beckoned for her.

"No. I won't join you."

"Don't pretend you hate me. I know that you can no longer feel. When you lost your Heart you lost that which drives the Body and Soul. You are now a Nobody, a being that has no true purpose. I can return that purpose to you, if only you would join me."

"Never."

"Hm...your will is stronger than any I've seen before. If you were given time you could..." The man trailed off. "No matter. I will grant you a show of faith."

The man reached into the folds of his robes and pulled out a strange gun. It had a very elegant design that was hard for Tamashii to understand.

"This is the Death Penalty. It is the only weapon that can harm me. As a show of faith I shall give you this weapon."

With that the man threw the gun in her direction. Instinctively Tamashii held out her hand and caught it. Looking down at the weapon she tried to make out its design, but was still unable to understand it. Turning her attention back to the man she saw he had disappeared.

"What now?"

DLDLDLDLDL

"Hikari, I don't know what to tell you."

"I...I don't believe it. Yami didn't attack you Leon...he...didn't..."

"Aerith, whats wrong with her?" Leon asked.

"She seems to be in a state of shock. I think we just need to let her rest some-"

Aerith was cut off when a loud whistling sound pierced the room. Everyone turned their attention to the door and saw a boy wearing a black coat leaning on the door frame. Hanging loosely from his left hand was a falchion like sword that resembled a demonic wing.

"So...this girl is Hikari? I wasn't expecting one of them to be so...weak looking. Granted, the others didn't put up much of a fight, but their will was strong enough that they actually fought back. Her, well...I doubt I'd even have to use Soul Eater here. And only two guards? Only one of which is an actual warrior. This is almost too easy."

"Leon, I'll go find Cloud." Aerith said as she ran into another room.

"Heh, unless that friend of yours gets here in the next minute or two, your both dead."


	8. Broken

**Cursed writer's block! I can't write long chapters like I want to! Anyways, here is chapter 7!**

* * *

"Who are you?" Leon asked.

"Kurai. Its my mission to exterminate any threat to the Dark Empire. That girl" He pointed to Hikari "Is one such threat. I'll take this opportunity to get rid of her quickly."

Without any warning he lunged at Leon. Swinging his blade in a wide are he slammed it into the man's wrist before he could draw his own blade. Dropping down Leon rolled backwards and pulled his Gunblade lose before pointing it at Kurai. Rushing forwards he attempted to stab the boy, however he nimbly jumped out of the way, before spinning around and slamming the flat of his blade against the man's head. Before Leon could react he then pulled back and fired a small black fire ball out of his left hand, which hit the man square in the face.

"Gah!" He yelled as he dropped his sword and fell to the ground grabbing his face.

"Hm. Your still alive? I guess I have no choice, Soul Eater isn't enough." The sword in Kurai's hands dissolved into Darkness. "I don't wanna use _that_ so instead..."

The boy jumped back and held his right hand forward, palm first, aimed at Hikari.

"Let the Darkness in the Heart bind the Light until the will to fight returns."

Several black chains shot out of the boy's palm and wrapped around Hikari. When they disappeared the boy lowered his hand and turned around.

"The fight will be no fun unless she tries. I'll give you a week to get her in fighting form again. Until you do, she won't be able to use that precious Light of hers."

He held out his hand again and a dark portal opened in front of him. And he calmly stepped through it.

DLDLDLDLDL

"Blaid! Where are you going?"

"None of you business Empress. I am simply going to check on something. Don't follow me, you wouldn't want to be in the Emperor's bad books, now would you?"

DLDLDLDLDL

"Leon!"

Hikari raised her head and watched through bleary eyes as Aerith and Cloud run in from the back door. Cloud looked between the two of them before running out the front door, while Aerith kneeled down and pried Leon's hands away from his face. What she saw made her gasp. There was a large black burn across his face. It went from the bottom of his forehead to the tip of his nose and across both eyes. It seemed he had closed his eyes at the last possible moment because he opened them and could obviously still see, because he immediately turned to Hikari.

"Are you okay?"

"I...don't know. I don't feel right...Its like theres something inside me that was never there before..." Hikari mumbled as she put a hand to her chest. "I...hurt inside..."

"Damn. I guess that boy actually did seal your Light in Darkness." Despite Aerith's protests Leon then pushed himself off the ground. "Come on, we need to train. Until your will returns your Light will be sealed. We can't have that."

"But...I..."

"No buts. When your Light returns, we'll find Yami. I promise you that."

At the mention of Yami Hikari's eyes lit up. She raised her head to look at Leon before slowly nodding and standing up. She held out her hand and her Keyblade appeared.

"I'm...ready."

DLDLDLDLDL

"Hey Yami, the Empress wants you."

Yami looked up and saw Kurai standing in his door way. Sighing he stood up and walked out of the room. When he passed the boy he could have sworn he felt a sudden wave of Darkness surge from him. Shuddering he walked away from the green haired boy and after a few minutes of navigation found himself in the Empress's throne room. She seemed somewhat annoyed for some reason but when he walked in she smiled.

"Ah, Yami. I have another mission for you." She waved her hand and a Corridor of Darkness appeared. "Go to that world and suppress a small rebellion. Apparently someone appeared in that world and is destroying all of our Heartless. If this goes on it could start a chain reaction that would result in our Empire losing all of the worlds it has gained."

"Fine. What do you want me to do with this person?"

"If possible, kill them. If not, make it so they can't fight. Now, go."

Sighing Yami nodded and walked through the portal. When he came out he was in a a desolate world. What few buildings there were were in such horrible shape it took him a moment to even realize what they were. Walking around he saw several people cower from him. They must have seen him come out of the Corridor. Shaking his head he explored more and found himself in a small alley. Before he could turn around he felt a blade press against his back.

"Turn around slowly." A female voice called out.

Turning slowly he saw the person was holding a large gray scale scythe and that was what had been pressed against him. Looking into the shadows the person was hiding he he couldn't quite make out who it was, but something about them was familiar.

"Now, die you dog."

It hit him. He knew who she was.

"Tamashii! Is that you!"

"How do you know my name?"

"Its me! Yami!"

"Blue eyes...?"

She stepped out of the shadows. For the most part she looked exactly the same as she did the day they lost their world, however her clothes were somewhat battered. Most notably there was a large tear across the front of her shirt, revealing a black bra underneath. Yami flushed slightly at the realization of this and he looked to the side.

"Um...Tamashii...y-your shirt."

"Yeah, so?"

"Tamashii?" Yami returned his attention to the girl and studied her. "Somethings...not right with you..."

"You noticed? Can you guess whats wrong?"

"Well..."

"Hmph. You can't tell."

Yami shook his head and Tamashii sighed.

"I guess I should feel happy at our little reunion, shouldn't I? Too bad right now I couldn't care less about your well being."

"What-"

Before Yami could finish Tamashii swung her scythe and cut him straight across the face.

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be like this."

DLDLDLDLDL

"Hikari, you can do better than that. You seem to be a natural with a blade, but you still lack the will needed to actually fight. You need to get stronger."

"R-right."

"Lets go again!"

Leon ran at Hikari and swung his blade. Hikari froze but at the last moment was able to compose herself and ducked before swinging her Keyblade upwards, knocking Leon off balance. Pressing this she stabbed, hitting Leon in the chest. She jarred backwards when the tip of her blade hit the armor he wore however, and he used this to jump backwards.

"Good. If it weren't for my armor that would have hurt." He stabbed his sword in the ground. "In fact, why don't we get you your own armor? We'd have to measure you first, and then get the right metals...that could take up to a month if we aren't lucky though...hm..."

"Um...m-measure?"

"Yeah, we have to make sure the armor fits you. If its too loose it won't do its job, and if its too tight it would hurt you. Don't worry, I'll leave that to Aerith."

"Alright..."

"Now then. Don't think your training is over yet." He said as he pulled his sword out of the ground.

DLDLDLDLDL

"Tamashii! Stop!"

Yami was frantically dodging the swings of his friends scythe. The cut across his nose was bleeding freely but he didn't have the time to stem the flow. Feeling something press against his back he realized he was backed against a wall. Cursing he dropped to the ground and dashed forward past Tamashii, but she was quicker and slammed the flat end of her scythe against his back. Gasping he fell to the ground.

"I will do to you what you did to me."

"What happened to you Tamashii!"

"I lost my Heart. I can no longer feel."

She raised her scythe.

"Tamashii!"

For whatever reason the girl hesitated. The grip slackened on her weapon and it fell, when it touched the ground it faded away. She winced and gripped her forehead in pain. She took a step backwards and tripped, falling down and hitting her head.

"Tama-"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Standing up the girl swung her fist forward. She barely touched him, however Yami was thrown backwards into the wall. Gasping in pain he watched through watery eyes as his friend held out her hand and a Corridor of Darkness appeared before her. She cast one final glance at him before stumbling through.

"Tama...shii..."

DLDLDLDLDL

"Why..."

Tamashii stumbled around the white void that connected the dark portals and fell to the ground. She was still clutching her head in pain, and she could feel tears streaming down her face. Wiping her face she pushed herself into a sitting position and stared into the white.

"Why... did I have to remember? I thought...losing my Heart meant I couldn't feel...why did those memories...come back? I don't...want to...love him..."

_3 months ago_

"Yami!"

"Hm?"

The red head turned to look at her and she felt her heart flutter. She knew there was zero chance he would return the feelings, but she had slowly come to love her friend. A small smile appeared on her face as she caught up to him.

"Wheres Hikari? She'll be late for school."

"Oh, she has a bad cold, shes staying home today."

"Well then Blue Eyes, its just us for the day."

"Blue Eyes?"

"Well, you DO have blue eyes Blue Eyes."

"Haha, not funny."

Yami lightly punched her on the shoulder. Smiling slightly Tamashii grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a head lock.

"T-Tamashii!"

"You give yet?"

"T-T-Tamashii! S-stop!"

"Come on, what do you say?"

"Y-your boobs! They're huring my back!"

Tamashii felt her face burn red. She pushed Yami forwards and turned her back to him.

"W-w-what!"

_Present_

"Why...?"

DLDLDLDLDL

"Empress."

The Empress froze. She was alone in her room, laying on her bed, and she should have been alone. When she recognized the voice and realized where it was coming from she slowly turned her gaze to the mirror that was on her wall. Sitting up she slowly walked over to it. She stared into the dark gray eyes in her reflection.

"Hello."


	9. Strength

**CHAPTA 8!111!1!**

**Anyone reading this who is a fan of my other stories, I'm going to focus on Deamonic and Inner Demons for awhile, then try and write the next chapter for Pandora Academy and Magic of the Eternal Flame next.**

* * *

"Y-you...but..."

"You'll never be rid of me _Empress_."

"No...I am no longer that person. I won't let you out!"

In a fit of rage the Empress drew back her arm and smashed her fist into the mirror.

DLDLDLDLDL

"Hikari!"

Almost instinctively the girl spun around and summoned her Keyblade. Leon's own sword bounced off it and he jumped back. Sheathing it he dusted his hands before placing them on his hips.

"Its been almost a week, and your getting good. Now then, we just have to wait for that kid to come back."

"Right. I won't let him get away with what he did."

While they were talking Cloud walked in and watched for a moment before stepping forwards and pulling lose his own blade. With no warning he lunged forwards and swung. Hikari was barely able to move out of the way before he began a full on assult. The man began pressing her left side, however she was able to dodge around him and strike him from behind. He stumbled forwards before catching himself and swinging around, slamming into her with the side of his blade. Gasping in pain she dropped to the ground and grabbed her arm.

"Hm...not bad, but you need to get stronger if you want to stand a chance."

"Cloud-" Leon started.

"No. Hes right. There are two more days. I'll get stronger."

DLDLDLDLDL

"Whats wrong with me...?"

Tamashii was sitting in the white void staring at what would be the wall as the very substance of the area swirled around her. Despite the fact all emotion should have left her she couldn't help but feel sad and angry. Standing up she opened another dark portal. Somewhat hesitantly she stepped through, not knowing if this one would lead her to another person she didn't want to meet. When she stepped out she found herself in in a vast plain with dirt pats cutting straight across. Out of curiosity she started down the path, and after a time found herself at a crossroads.

"Which way?"

She started down the path to her right, but some unseen force suddenly compelled her to ignore that path. Instead she began walking down the one straight ahead of her. After a few minutes a large building appeared on the horizon. Not sure why she continued on the path until she was in front of a large twisted looking castle. Hesitant at first she walked up to the large door and pushed it open, revealing that it was completely white on the inside. Unnerved but not undeterred she entered only to suddenly feel faint and collapse. Gasping for breath she held out her hand to summon a portal. After a moment one opened, but it took more energy than it should have. Cringing in pain she slowly dragged herself into it.

Just as she got in and the portal began closing she heard running, and willed it to close faster, and miraculously it did. Just as a hand reached through to grab her it disappeared. The hand fell the the ground and spasmed for a moment before going still. Gasping Tamashii stood and backed away, catching her breath. Fear appeared on the edges of her mind, but she knew it wasn't real. Ignoring the fake emotion she opened another portal before fleeing through it.

DLDLDLDLDL

"Yami? You up?"

Yami saw Kurai standing in his door way.

"Yeah. Still a little shaken though."

"Weren't expecting your friend to try and kill you?"

"No..."

"Well, I gotta report, see ya later."

DLDLDLDLDL

After waiting several hours Tamashii finally opened another portal and walked out. After making she this wasn't the same place she had just been she closed the portal and began to explore. Oddly enough she found herself in a small town where everything was made from orange brick and had a deep red sky. Not paying attention to what she was doing she stumbled and almost fell down a slope. Catching herself at the last minute she carefully walked down. After a bit of exploring she found herself in a large open area with a seemingly unmanned tram circling it.

"Odd, I haven't seen a single person..."

"I know why."

Quickly turning Tamashii saw a man with short red hair wearing a red trench coat over a black shirt and black pants. In his hand was a long sword with a red blade and a unique hand guard. The man slowly walked up to her and when they were roughly 2 feet apart he held his blade aloft and pointed it towards the sky.

"The inhabitants of this world are rather...secluded. They stay inside unless they must come out for one reason or another. Don't know why though." The man swung his blade downwards and locked eyes with her. "You wouldn't happen to be...Tamashii?"

"Why?"

"Well, if you ARE Tamashii, I have orders to either bring you with me, or kill you if you refuse to come."

"I told him before. I refuse to work for him."

"Now, that wouldn't be much of a problem if you hadn't tried to kill his Knight."

"His...Knight?"

"Now then...will you come or not?"

In answer Tamashii held out her hand and her scythe materialized. The man scoffed before raising his blade and running at her. Dropping down Tamashii lunged forwards and swung her scythe to hit his legs, however at the last moment he jumped and spun in the air before landing behind her and slashing across her back. Grunting she spun around and forgoing her weapon threw her left fist forwards and slammed into the man's abdomen. He obviously wasn't expecting this and wasn't able to guard.

"That...hurt."

The man straightened and ran at her, slashing wildly to catch her off guard, and it worked. By the time she got away from him Tamashii was covered in small cuts. Gasping at the pain she dropped to her knees.

"You give yet?"

"N-never."

Pushing herself back up she held her scythe up and slammed the back end into the ground. From the contact point a wave of energy shot in all directions. The man tried to guard, but the force was so great he was sent flying. Exhausted from the effort of the attack Tamashii fell to one knee using the scythe to support herself.

"Damn...bitch."

Eyes widening Tamashii looked up and saw the man pick himself up and start walking towards her. His eyes were filled with rage and his sword was glowing.

"Heh, looks like that was a one shot attack. Lucky me. Now then, lets end this."

The man held out his left arm and a large somewhat misshapen black wing appeared on his back. Seemingly with renewed power the man ran at her and hoisted her in the air. Spinning around he threw her up before launching himself up. He raised his blade and slashed down, and the only reason she wasn't cut in half was because she raised her scythe to deflect the blow. Unfortunately the power behind the attack was great enough to not only force her to drop the weapon, but to break her arm. The sudden surge of pain was enough to make her scream as she fell and crashed into the ground.

"Now, then, ready to cooperate?" The man asked as he touched down next to her.

"Like...hell..."

Out of pure force of will Tamashii was able to cause another portal to open underneath her and sank into it, closing it behind her. Laying in the white void she spent roughly half an hour recovering before forcing herself to stand. Her right arm was so badly hurt she couldn't even move it. After awhile she decided to open a portal to a random world and hope she could find a doctor.

DLDLDLDLDL

"Lets take a break."

Hikari immediately dropped to the ground panting. After a moment she stood up and slowly walked to Leon's house before collapsing on a couch. After a minute she got back up and stretched before going into the kitchen and getting some water. When she came out she saw Leon talking with Yuffie about something, but couldn't quite understand what they were actually saying. Shrugging it off she sat back down and closed her eyes.

"Hikari, don't get too comfortable. We aren't done with training yet."

"What? But we've already...fine."

Getting up Hikari walked back outside and summoned her Keyblade. Leon walked up to her and threw her a package. Confused she tore it open and found a few pieces of metal. Even more confused she pulled them out and tried to figure out what they were.

"Thats your armor."

Now that she knew what it was she was able to figure out how to put it on. The main piece was a large silver colored breast plate with a corresponding back plate. There was also a pair of shin guards an gauntlets.

"Thanks."

"It goes on under your clothes."

"Wh-wh-what?"

"Whats the prob-oh, right, go on in and get it put on."

Nodding she ran inside and up the stairs. After a bit of searching she found an empty bedroom. Making sure the the door was locked she pulled off her shirt and looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a plain white bra, though there wasn't much to put in it to her dismay. Sighing she pulled the armor on, and found it strangly form fitting. Shrugging it off she pulled her shirt on over it and it was all but impossible to tell she was wearing it. Pulling the shin guards on she made sure they were on right and then pulled the gauntlets on, though it felt more like she was wearing gloves. When everything was set she walked out and went back outside.

"I'm ready Leon."

"Good, now then..."

The man held up his blade and rushed her. Due to their training she knew that he would follow up with a downward diagonal slash, and prepared herself to counter. When he swung downwards she caught his blade and threw him backwards before slashing upwards, causing him to faulter before stabbing at his abdomen. Knowing his armor was there she braced her arms and wasn't thrown back. Following her stab she did a spinning slash and knocked him down.

"Wow...you've gotten good missy."

Turning around Hikari saw Kurai standing behind them watching. He held out his hand and the sword he called Soul Eater appeared in it. After examining the blade for a moment he lunged forwards and swung his blade in a wide arc, slamming into her side. If it wasn't for the armor she was now wearing she probably would have a large gash. Despite the protection however, she was thrown to the ground and gasped in pain.

"Hm, not much of an improvement. Despite all your training you still don't have the will required to free your Heart, disappointing."

Fighting back the pain she Hikari forced herself up and held her Keyblade out, pointed at the boy. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes. When she opened them her irises were glowing and she ran forwards. Drawing her blade back she ran past him and stuck him in the abdomen as hard as she could. Unfortunately when she turned to look at him he was perfectly fine. Grinning he ran at her – dropping his blade on the way – and slammed his fist square in her face. Falling she saw him run behind her and and struck her in the back, causing her to fly forwards and crash into the ground.

"Hehehe...hahahaha...unlike the others you were able to hurt me. I guess you were able to free your Light after all. Now then..." He picked Soul Eater up. "Lets end this!"

* * *

**CLIFFHANGER ENDING! DUN DUN DUUUUN! AND I WON'T WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER FOR AN UNSPECIFIED AMMOUNT OF TIME! DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUN!**

**Review.**


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